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119+ In stockIn stockCA: 0 | US: 119119+In stock

Overview

This M.2 SSD RAID controller card lets you install two M.2 NGFF (Next Generation Form Factor) drives in your desktop computer. The card also features two SATA III (6Gbps) ports and supports hardware RAID. Now, you can merge the speed and compact size of M.2 solid state drives (SSD) with the storage capacity of traditional hard disk drives (HDD).

Leverage the size and speed of M.2 drives

This M.2 controller card lets you take advantage of the size and performance benefits of NGFF SSDs. M.2 drives are smaller than typical platter drives or mSATA-based SSDs, so you can install them in small form-factor PCs and servers, or in tighter areas within your computer case.

When you couple the card with an M.2 drive, you can give your computer’s performance a noticeable speed boost. By installing your operating system on the M.2 drive, you'll have faster access to the files you commonly use, and you can continue to use your higher-capacity platter HDD for bulk storage.

Peace of mind, with simple and cost-effective data recovery

Due to their performance and size advantages, M.2 drives are commonly used in laptops. If your laptop has failed but its M.2 drive is functional, then this card can help with data recovery. Once the M.2 drive is installed and the data recovery is complete, you can continue to use the drive for storage and backup purposes.

Build a high-performance RAID array

If you need a scalable, internal storage solution that you can count on, then this card can help. It supports a range of RAID configurations (RAID 0, 1, and 10), giving you multiple ways to expand your storage, improve your computer’s performance, or to create data redundancy backups.

Connect even more drives with port multiplication

Because the M.2 card supports port multiplication, you can connect up to four drives to one of the card’s SATA ports. With a built-in port multiplier, you can install up to seven drives (two M.2 SSDs, five SATA drives) in your computer through this single drive controller.

Supports a wide range of drives

You can rest assured that your M.2 SATA drives are compatible with the card. It supports the most common drive sizes, including 22110, 2280, 2260, 2242 and 2230. For more versatility, the card also supports hybrid drives.

The PEXM2SAT3422 is backed by a StarTech.com 2-year warranty and free lifetime technical support.

Applications

Increase the internal storage capacity of your standard or small form-factor computer

Create a RAID array and add the security of data redundancy and increased storage to your PC

Access and recover data from almost any M.2 SSD, such as drives pulled from laptops and other computers

Optimize your system for I/O intensive applications such as office suites, photo and video editing, and media players

The maximum throughput of this card is limited by the bus interface. If used with PCI Express Gen 1.0 enabled computers, the max throughput is 2.5Gbps per lane. If used with PCI Express Gen 2.0 enabled computers, the max throughput is 5Gbps per lane.

The card's two SATA ports support port multiplier, up to seven drives total (including two M.2 drives). Only one SATA port can use port multiplier at a time, with up to four drives total connected through PM (in a non-RAID configuration)

Data Sheets

Frequently Asked Questions

Before You Buy

Although M.2 SSDs come in similar form factors, only an M.2 SATA drive with an NGFF B key will operate with this device. M.2 drives that are PCIe or have a different key position are not compatible with this device.

This device can adapt an M.2 SATA drive to standard SATA connections, which is not possible for a PCIe based M.2 drive. The key type refers to the connector type on the M.2 SATA drive. B key can be M.2 PCIe x2 or SATA, so it is important that you check the specifications of the drive to see if it supports SATA.

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Note: Not all StarTech.com devices support each of the RAID modes described below. For more information on the RAID modes that your device supports, refer to the manual or the StarTech.com product page.

Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) is a virtual disk technology that combines multiple physical drives into one unit. RAID can create redundancy, improve performance, or do both.

RAID should not be considered a replacement for backing up your data. If critical data is going onto a RAID array, it should be backed up to another physical drive or logical set of drives.

The following are terms that are normally used in connection with RAID:

Striping: data is split between multiple disks.

Mirroring: data is mirrored between multiple disks.

Parity: also referred to as a checksum. Parity is a calculated value used to mathematically rebuild data.

Different RAID levels exist for different application requirements.

Refer to the following table for the list of RAID modes offered by some StarTech.com products:

RAID mode

Description

Operation

Advantages

Disadvantages

Recovery

RAID 0

Striped disks

Data is split evenly between two or more disks.

Large size and the fastest speed.

No redundancy.

If one or more drives fails, this results in array failure.

RAID 1

Mirrored disks

Two or more drives have identical data on them.

A single drive failure will not result in data loss.

Speed and size is limited by the slowest and smallest disk.

Only one drive is needed for recovery.

RAID 3

Striped set with dedicated parity

Data is split evenly between two or more disks, plus a dedicated drive for parity storage.

High speeds for sequential read/write operations.

Poor performance for multiple simultaneous instructions.

A single drive failure will rebuild.

RAID 5

Striped disks with distributed parity

Data is split evenly between three or more disks. Parity is split between disks.

Large size, fast speed, and redundancy.

The total array size is reduced by parity.

A single drive failure will rebuild.

RAID 10

1+0; Striped set of Mirrored Subset

Four or more drives are made into two mirrors that are striped.

Larger size and higher speed than RAID-1, and more redundancy than RAID-0.

No parity.

Only one drive in a mirrored set can fail.

JBOD

Just a Bunch Of Disks

Any number of drives are accessed independently by the operating system.

Software RAID modes can be used.

Hardware RAID may have better performance.

N/A

Big

Spanning or Concatenation

Data is written on one drive until it is full, and then the next drive(s) until it or they are full.

Creates a very large and simple array.

No redundancy.

N/A

Clone

RAID 1 + Spare

Two drives have identical data, plus one drive is used for rebuilding in case of a primary array failure.

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How to

In Device Manager, under the appropriate heading, confirm that your expansion card is listed and that there isn't an exclamation mark next to it. For example, a USB controller card would be under Universal Serial Bus controllers.

Your expansion card is listed according to the name of the chipset. To determine the name of the chipset of your expansion card, navigate to www.StarTech.com and look on the Technical Specifications tab for your product.

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To confirm that the Mac OS detects your expansion card, complete the following:

Click the Apple icon.

Click About This Mac.

Click More Info or System Report.

Under the appropriate heading, confirm that your expansion card is listed and that there isn't an error. For example, a network card would be under Ethernet Cards.

Your expansion card is listed according to the name of the chipset. To determine the name of the chipset of your expansion card, navigate to www.StarTech.com and look on the Technical Specifications tab for your product.

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In order to use a hard drive plugged into a hard drive controller card as your operating system, you need to install the operating system onto the hard drive while it is plugged into the expansion card. To do this, complete the following:

Note: Not all hard drive controller cards have drivers that allow you to install the operating system onto the hard drive. All of the hard drive controllers that display this FAQ include this capability.

Before you begin, consult the documentation that came with the motherboard to make sure that the motherboard or BIOS supports booting from an expansion card.

Back up any data on the hard drive.

Make a copy of the drivers from the website onto a floppy disc, CD, DVD, or USB flash drive. The drivers that you download depends on the operating system that you want to install.

Install the hard drive controller card onto your motherboard.

Plug the hard drive into the controller card.

Turn on your computer and open the operating system install wizard.

Before you select the hard drive that you want to install the operating system onto, select the option to install third-party drivers.

Point the driver installer to the floppy disc, CD, DVD, or USB flash drive.

Install the drivers.

Select the hard drive on the hard drive controller card as the location where you want to install the operating system.

Complete the on-screen instructions to finish installing the operating system.

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Troubleshooting

When you troubleshoot issues with a hard drive controller card, there are some quick tests that you can complete to rule out potential problems. You can test to make sure that the following components are working correctly and are not the source of the issue:

IDE, SATA, and eSATA cables

Hard drives

Hard drive controller card

To test your setup components, try the following:

Use the IDE, SATA, or eSATA cable, hard drive, and hard drive controller card in another setup to see if the problem is with the components or the setup.

Use a different IDE, SATA, or eSATA cable, hard drive, and hard drive controller card in your setup to see if the problem persists. Ideally, you should test a component that you know works in another setup.

When you test your cables, it is recommended that you do the following:

Test each cable individually.

Use short cables when you are testing.

When you test the hard drive and hard drive controller card, it is recommended that you do the following:

If the device is listed with an error, reinstall the drivers by completing the instructions on the website.

If the hard drive is listed with unallocated space, the hard drive needs to be formatted. Right-click unallocated and click New Simple Volume. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the reformatting.

Note: Formatting a hard drive erases all of the data on it. Make sure that you back up all of your data before you reformat the hard drive.

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In order to rebuild a RAID array, you need to replace a physical drive with an identical drive on the same RAID controller. Although standard RAID levels are generally agreed upon throughout the industry, the implementation varies between manufacturers. RAID arrays are typically not accessible when they are moved to another controller, and data may be unrecoverable if the drives are out of order or have been formatted or accessed by another RAID controller.

If a RAID controller has failed, you should get the exact same model of RAID controller.

Note: If a drive or drives were damaged, it is possible that the RAID array may be permanently unrecoverable.

RAID should not be considered a replacement for backing up your data. If critical data is going onto a RAID array, you should back up the data on another physical drive or logical set of drives.

Rebuild a RAID array

With the following RAID modes, recovery is possible using the same StarTech.com product. Refer to the following table for the appropriate method to use to recover your RAID array.

RAID mode

Max # of failed drives

Procedure

RAID 1

Only one drive is needed for recovery.

Determine which drive is operational by using the RAID management utility (if available) or test each drive individually on a different hard drive controller (for example, a hard drive docking station or SATA controller).

Replace the failed drive with an identical hard drive.

The array will rebuild and is accessible during the rebuilding process.

RAID 3

Single drive failure will rebuild.

Determine which drive is defective by using the RAID management utility (if available) or with diagnosis LEDs on the controller or enclosure.

Replace with an identical hard drive.

Note: Do not change the order of the drives.

The array may be accessible during the rebuild, but you should let the controller rebuild without interruption so that performance is not compromised.

RAID 5

Single drive failure will rebuild.

Determine which drive is defective by using the RAID management utility (if available) or with diagnosis LEDs on the controller or enclosure.

Replace with an identical hard drive.

Note: Do not change the order of the drives.

The array may be accessible during the rebuild, but you should let the controller rebuild without interruption so that performance is not compromised.

RAID 10

Only one drive in a mirrored set can fail.

Determine which drive is defective by using the RAID management utility (if available) or with diagnosis LEDs on the controller or enclosure.

Replace with an identical hard drive.

Note: Do not change the order of the drives.

The array may be accessible during the rebuild, but you should let the controller rebuild without interruption so that performance is not compromised.